In many locations, such as airports, business parks, shopping centers, and resort facilities, there is a demand for short haul transportation systems that are low in noise, low in vibration, and safe. In response to such demands, shuttles (as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) serve as a horizontal transportation systems that apply the principles of elevators in the horizontal direction.
As shown in FIG. 5, a vehicle (101) is not equipped with wheels to transport it on a track (104); rather, the vehicle (101) is equipped with an air flotation device to lift it away from the surface of the track (104). When the vehicle (101) is lifted by the air pad (102) of the air flotation device, a thin air cushion is formed between the vehicle (101) and the surface of the track (104), allowing the vehicle (101) to move smoothly in the horizontal direction.
A closed-loop pulling rope (103) as shown in FIG. 6 is set on the track surface (104). The rope (103) is attached to the vehicle (101) by a hitch plate (108). A winding device (105), attached to the end of the track surface (104), is used to move the vehicle (101) horizontally by pulling it. The rope (103) is stretched along the track (104) by means of guide wheels (109) which are set on the side of the track (104). As shown in FIG. 7, the guide wheels (109) are supported by guide rail posts (110). In places where there are curves on the track (104), it is necessary to bend the rope (103) according to the curve. For this reason, the guide wheels (109) in such areas are supported in a approximately horizontal attitude on the guide rail posts (110) .